Exhibits

I believe that the best science exhibits arise when you aim to intrigue and excite the visitor, rather than convey specific facts or concepts to them. In this respect, I think that classics like Thermal Camera and Slow Bubbles (illustrated) are wonderful exhibits. It takes a long time to teach someone something - more time than most visitors spend at a given exhibit or even at a whole science centre. But it's possible to inspire someone in a much shorter time. The effects of that inspirational experience, on that person's attitude to and interest in science, will probably be much deeper and longer-lasting than anything you try to 'teach' them with an exhibit.That's not to say that it's a bad thing if exhibits have a direct educational function, and most if not all of the ideas I describe could be used to convey specific scientific concepts. But for me the first purpose of hands-on exhibits ideas is to astonish, intrigue, and delight.Another plank of my philosophy is: make it real. Don't fake it. If you lead people to believe that something is happening, then it really should be happening.